"Dunno, I 'spose its the way ya stand, nice to have a guy like that at my back."
Standing on the branch opposite him, easily balanced on the branch, she takes a couple of steps closer, brushing her hair behind her ear.
"What are ya scared of Rick?"
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"Dunno, I 'spose its the way ya stand, nice to have a guy like that at my back."
Standing on the branch opposite him, easily balanced on the branch, she takes a couple of steps closer, brushing her hair behind her ear.
"What are ya scared of Rick?"
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Rick rises to his feet, opting to put himself roughly at eye level with Terri. Two steps forward closes the distance between them even more, and allows him to best position his feet to maintain his balance. He can feel his toes curl inside his shoes, a vestige of the falcon's instincts to dig its talons into the tree to steady itself. "A bit of an ambiguous question. But supposing you're referring to general fears, it's not being prepared. We've seen the horrors of this world, know the dangers it holds. And as terrible as what we were subjected to is, it armed us and opened our eyes.
"We know that they can come at any time, we know the danger they represent, and though we may never be able to match them in brute strength we've gained the tools we need to resist them. If we're vigilant, if we can see their plans starting to unfold we can act to stop them. And we're the only ones that can protect normal people from them.
"What scares me is being unable to defend myself, and having to go back. Or worse yet, fail to protect someone else and see them subjected to the horrors we've experienced." He locks gazes with her, steel evident in his cloudy stare. "I'll do everything in my power to prevent that from happening."
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Terri slips in a little more so their gazes were mere inches apart and her arms brushed his feathers.
"Me too," she whispers. She didn't know why but she leans in and places her head on his chest, eyes closed. It was so warm aganist her ear.
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She can feel him relax at her touch, the tension that had been building during his short speech easing from his body. Not quite trusting himself to speak (and possibly ruin the moment) he simply wraps his arm about her slender form in a comforting embrace. The two held together in the limbs of the tree, with the breeze and leaves of the season swirling around them.
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And things progressed from there. Kissing, reveling in each others presence, fumbling hands pushing clothing aside, a passionate and desperate coupling screened by the Autumn leaves. And when it was over Rick found himself sitting with his back to the trunk, Terri’s petite form wrapped in his arms and one hand gently stroking her hair. It had been a long time since he’d been able to open himself up to anyone. He’d been guarded ever since his return from Arcadia, always hiding behind emotional barriers. But Terri had been able to put him at ease with both words and demeanor, slipping past those barriers more easily than he’d thought possible. “It feels like it’s been forever,” he murmured, “since I’ve been able to open myself up like this…to anybody.”
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Terri sighs in contentment as Rick's fingers twiddle her hair and her slight body wrapped in his arms. She says nothing for a while but hearing the birds and squirrels starting their early routine, Terri realises they'd been settled for too long.
"Thanks Rick, ya have no idea how better I feel, and I don't just mean what we did." She stretches, carefully removing herself from his embrace and sorts out her clothes. "Time to get moving, hun, this park gets busy real quick."
Once ready, Terri leans down and gives him a kiss on the forehead, tracing her fingers over his lips before planting a kiss upon them, like a signature. Smiling, she waits for him to re-dress, quite happily watching.
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Rick very carefully gets his clothes arrayed properly on him once again. He really didn't feel like falling out of the tree now. And during the process he can't help but being slightly amused at the attention Terri pays to him. That amusement though, isn't evident in his voice, "Yeah, I know what you mean." He hesitates slightly, showing the first subtle signs of uncertainty Terri has seen from him. "And this, this is more than just a one time thing right? More than just a romp in the park?"
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Terri smirks and sends him a wink. "What d'ya think the kiss was for? I don't do romps." She looks serious for a second, slightly annoyed that anyone would think that but Rick didn't know her yet so it wasn't his fault.
"Rick, we've been through a lot, being what we are. Trust is hard for us, but if we don't open up then what's the point. I know it ain't easy but we'll be fine. I would like to say we should take it slow and steady but after this morning, heck, I say we run with it and don't look back." She laughs and gives him one final kiss before scrambling down the tree like a pro.
"Ya coming, Early-Bird?"
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Rick relaxes visibly at her words, the relief evident in his posture for several seconds before his usual, confident, demeanor comes to the fore as he begins to climb down. "Yeah, I know what you mean...I really do. Like I said, it's been a long time since I've been able to open up to anybody like this. It's why I was really, really hoping you'd answer like you did."
Rick pauses for a second as he nears the ground, feeling the falcon's instincts in him urge a dive out of the tree. He clamps down on it though, compromising and instead merely leaping to the ground. He lands in a crouch besides Terri, rising up and planting a light kiss on her cheek. He pauses slightly as he pulls away, murmuring into her ear. "And I couldn't agree with you more."
End Scene
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